SEDA news and events
- Instant Asset Write Off has increased from $30,000 to $150,000 and businesses can now claim an immediate deduction of up to $150K for the purchase of assets in the 2019‑20 income year. This will change as of the 1st July 2020 so now is a good time to speak with your accountant if you are looking at purchasing such things as netting, new machinery etc.
- On-Farm Drought Resilience Grant Program – Up to $10,000 to put towards expert advice or infrastructure investment, there are 3 new eligible infrastructure investments under the Resilience Grants:
-weed control (e.g. purchase of registered herbicide)
-soil moisture probes (as an explicit investment under soil moisture monitoring activities).
Join Australian Red Cross in a five-part series of free webinars exploring drought and wellbeing. We have invited expert speakers along to share their insights with us so we can better support our own communities, ourselves and our loved ones in these tough times. The webinars are free but limited to 500 attendees so click below and register for one or all five today!
- Maintaining wellbeing through drought & prolonged stress (10-11am Wednesday 17 June)
- The drought cycle; adaptation and strengthening resilience (10-11am Wednesday 1July)
- Wellbeing after the rains (10-11.15am Wednesday 15 July)
- Family wellbeing in the face of ongoing stress (10-11.15am Wednesday 29 July)
- Preparing for tough times (10-11.15am Wednesday 12 August)
SESSION 1: Friday 12th June 2020 at 12:30 pm (Eastern Standard Time) OR;
SESSION 2: Thursday 18th June 2020 at 4:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
You need to register for one or other session by return e-mail to
Jeff Scott will be presenting on the registration process and hopefully representatives of the Department and Audit will be available. You can download a copy of the Registration Work Manual, which will help you navigate the registration process. Jeff Scott will cover off on the relevant components.
It is proposed that registration will open on Monday 22nd June and close on Monday 13th July 2020
If you have any queries and/or issues please contact: Trevor Ranford, Chief Executive Officer Summerfruit Australia Ltd. 0417 809 172,
The Australian stone fruit industry is 'quite pleased' with the 2019/20 season, which featured increased values, despite several challenges domestically and internationally.
Summerfruit Australia CEO Trevor Ranford noted that different growing areas had some hail in a couple of regions across the season, while others dealt with high water costs, but overall, the industry's production was strong across all of the commodities.
"The industry went into the export season on the back of a record year 2018/19, with over 23,000 tonnes," Mr Ranford said. "There was a level of confidence, particularly in the Chinese market, and growers had come to terms with what they needed to be supplying to get good prices. I think in the first couple of years there were issues surrounding poor quality fruit into the market, but over the past two fruit has been harvested at increased maturity, and a better understanding of the market, especially through people from the industry visiting and building up relationships. While some challenges take the gloss off what we have achieved, it was still a strong year. I think we need to recognise the work of John Moore and Ian McAlister and others who have spent 10 years opening China up for the industry." - Read more of this Fresh Plaza article.
Coronavirus and workplace laws- The Fair Work Ombudsman has a dedicated Coronavirus website to help you understand your rights and responsibilities during the outbreak and along the road to recovery. Visit the website for more information...
Temporary changes to the Fair Work Act- Changes have been made to support the implementation of the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme. JobKeeper employers can ask their JobKeeper employees to change when they work or take paid annual leave, or can require them to reduce their hours or days, change their duties, or change their work location. Safeguards apply. Visit the Fair Work website for more information...
Workplace legal advice program- Fair Work are piloting a program to give eligible employers access to free, confidential legal advice to help employers deal with issues and get on with running their business. Visit the website for eligibility criteria and more information...
Information campaign for labour hire workers- The Authority will soon conduct an information campaign for labour hire workers to make sure they are aware of the Authority’s Report a Problem function – where members of the community including labour hire providers, hosts and workers can report suspected non-compliance by labour hire providers for investigation.
Managing and preventing exposure to COVID-19- The Victorian Government has announced the gradual easing of restrictions throughout the state, subject to the continued and effective management of the spread of COVID-19. Businesses that are reopening or planning their reopening can refer to health and safety guidance from WorkSafe Victoria and Safe Work Australia to help manage health and safety risks related to COVID-19. This includes information on physical distancing, personal protective equipment, cleaning, undertaking risk assessments and designing emergency plans.
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